Football realignment affects several area schools

Section III football has a new look, again, and it doesn't include Richfield Springs. Central New York's 13 high school football leagues have been realigned for the 2010 season, and one of the many changes signals the end of the football program at Richfield Springs Central School.

Section III football has a new look, again, and it doesn't include Richfield Springs.

Central New York's 13 high school football leagues have been realigned for the 2010 season, and one of the many changes signals the end of the football program at Richfield Springs Central School.

The Richfield Springs Indians, who last year joined forces with Mohawk because of their low numbers, have dropped the sport.

“When the athletic budget was presented to the Board of Education, football wasn't one of the sports for the simple reason we had a lack of participation,” Richfield Springs schools Superintendent Robert Barraco said. “It had nothing to do with finances. That wasn't the issue.”

Barraco said the school was hoping to play football with Mohawk again this season, but Mohawk chose not to merge at the varsity, junior varsity and modified levels.

The Mohawk-Richfield Springs “Tribe” played in Class C last season and finished 1-4 in the East Division and 2-7 overall. Now, Mohawk will return to the Class D East.

Among the other changes:

* Notre Dame, the Class D East champion, moves to Class C East. Also, players from Rome Catholic High School, which has dropped the sport, can play with the Jugglers.

Although Mohawk Superintendent Joyce Caputo called last year's merger “beneficial and productive” for both districts, she said the Mohawk Board of Education “agreed to accept the recommendation to discontinue the combined Mohawk-Richfield Springs football team.”

For years, Richfield Springs, by enrollment one of the smallest schools playing high school football in the state, has struggled with low numbers. Before merging with Mohawk, the Indians went 0-7 in 2008 and had one winning season in the last 11 years. They won their last league title in 1996

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The state minimum calls for 16 varsity players in uniform, “and every year that would become very iffy,” Barraco said. “I think people recognized that we didn't have the numbers. Reality is reality. You need 'X' number of kids, and if you don't have them, what are you going to do? Seven years ago, we had 200 more kids than we do now.”

Barraco said boys and girls soccer are the only fall sports on the athletic budget for the 2010-11 school year.

Like Richfield Springs, Rome Catholic has dealt with low numbers in the past, and the Redwings will join football forces with Notre Dame in 2010.

RCH went without varsity football for three seasons and then returned last fall and finished 0-8.

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“You're trying to do what is best for the kids,” said Dennis Skibitski, longtime RCH coach and athletic director. “Without a doubt, this is better for the kids.”

Notre Dame, which won the Class D East title last fall and was No. 13 in the final state rankings, now is in Class C East.

Notre Dame coach Byron Abraham said the Jugglers originally were placed in a Class D league for 2010, but a protest by one school was upheld by a Section III panel and Notre Dame was placed in Class C East with Adirondack, Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, Ilion and Little Falls.

“We had back-to-back 7-2 seasons, but last year we could hardly field a team,” said Abraham, who never had more than 20 varsity players in uniform, and three of them were freshmen. “It's going to be a challenge because of our numbers, but we'll play whoever we have to play.”

The Executive Committee of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association approved new enrollment cutoff numbers last month, effectively changing the structure of the five classifications.

Those new numbers led to several moves by Section III teams, including Westmoreland's shift from Class D to Class C.

“We've had success in the past in Class C, so hopefully that will continue,” said Westmoreland coach Tim Gates. “It's still going to be competitive football.”